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Little movement in North St. Paul’s efforts to attract microbrewery

Talks with potential buyers are currently stalled

North St. Paul city officials may be interested in having a microbrewery in their town, but there’s still a lot of work to be done before one opens. For starters, there is yet to be an official buyer.

“We had some interest from a couple of different groups last summer and fall,” said Paul Ammerman, North St. Paul community development director. “One was fairly serious, but then decided to initially contract out their brewing (operation) in order to test the market.”

The sites that these undisclosed potential buyers looked at included a space within the multi-tenant Standard Conveyor building, an historic structure at 2226 Second St. N. There has also been speculation and consideration for opening a microbrewery in the Aetrium building, located at the intersection of Helen Street and Seppala Boulevard.

As a whole, microbreweries have become a big hit in the United States. According to reports, craft beer (or microbrew) production was up 9.6 percent in 2013, while overall beer production has fallen 1.4 percent.

While big companies like Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors are struggling to make a profit, smaller craft breweries are beginning to thrive. Additional reports are also quick to point out the economic benefits of a craft brewery, saying craft brewers currently provide an estimated 108,440 jobs in the U.S., including serving staff in brewpubs and tap houses.